Dilute! Dilute! OK? OK?

Don Bolles (better known as 70s drummer for punk outfits The Germs and 45 Grave) has reportedly has been arrested for (wait for it): possession of soap. That news comes from a recent posting by musician Nora Keyes. We haven’t independently confirmed the details of her account, but if it’s even mostly accurate, the charges are outrageous. According to Keyes, police, searching Bolles’ van in uptight Orange County, CA, found nothing suspicious but a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap in the back.

If you’ve ever picked up a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s at the supermarket, you know exactly how dumbfounding the labels on these bottles can be – the purest example of insane ranting ever to grace a product container in the history of Das Kapitalism. Don’t believe me? Read the whole label here.

Police, feasting their eyes on the label, doubtless thought they had confirmation they were dealing with a genuine psychopath. Then they found the word “hemp” on the list of ingredients. Bolles got slammed in the pokey, where he is being charged with a felony and being held on $25,000 bail.

Dr. Bronner’s is the only cleaning agent Bolles uses – for every thing from toothpaste to laundry detergent. Did anyone tell the cops they can buy this stuff by the case at any local health food store (and, no doubt, some Safeways?)

Note: According to the police report, there may be more than soap involved here, but we’ll wait for the other shoe to drop before saying more.

Update: The D.A. has dropped all charges against Bolles, after chemical analysis of Dr. Bronner’s soap revealed that – surprise! – it does not contain any trace of date-rape drug GBH after all. Bolles says he thinks his “big furry hat” and the appearance of his 1968 van may have contributed to officer’s suspicions (which, by itself, should be cause for investigation into the motivations of the cops in this case). The soap manufacturer says it’s looking into its legal options.

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Dusty Bins

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Stuck Between Stations, founded by longtime friends and musical co-conspirators in the San Francisco Bay Area, seeks to forge an online music community that values irreverent, honest writing, has little regard for coolness or trends, keeps its sense of humor, and won’t flinch from the sloppy and surprising ways music gets under our skin.

Our tastes and backgrounds diverge wildly, but we’re united by common beliefs that rock isn’t soft, jazz isn’t smooth, country isn’t young, adults aren’t contemporary, and genre restrictions are very overrated.

We’re open to the possibility that music from Mali or Madras (Chennai) or Memphis might sound more alternative, and more rocking, than the latest prescribed dose of “alternative rock.” We will report on new releases, but also recognize that something Son House recorded in the 1930s or Albert Ayler recorded in the 1960s might be exactly what we need to get through tomorrow.